PGS-News

James and Minnie Williams - Williams Store

James Madison Williams born 4/28/1855 in Madison County,
Iowa and died 9/19/1928 and Minnie Emmazet (nee Besse) born
10/4/1866 in Appanoose County, Iowa and died 4/5/1931. Both
died at DeNoya, Oklahoma and are buried in the Newkirk
Cemetery, located 2 miles north of Newkirk, Oklahoma. They
married and had most of their children in Appanoose County,
Iowa. From there they moved to what is now South Coffeyville
(not sure if it was KS or OK at that time) and had two more
children on the banks of the Verdigris River. Then they
moved to West Plains, Missouri with their family. That is
when they moved again to the oil fields of Oklahoma and ran
"company stores". Most of their family ended up working in
some way for the oil companies, all except for my
grandmother (Minnie & James' daughter) and grandfather. They
ended up as farmers in Kansas.

One of the stores James and Minnie ran was in
Mervine, OklahomaMervine, Oklahoma named for D. T.
Mervine of the Wells Fargo Co. and Santa Fe Railroad was
located southeast of Newkirk, about half-way between Newkirk
and Uncas. Mervine was just one of the many small towns that
exploded with growth when oil was discovered in the area.1

James and Minnie also ran a store at DeNoya, Oklahoma
DeNoya, Oklahoma named for Joseph F DeNoya, a prominent
Osage Indian was located in Western Osage County, 3 miles
southwest of Shidler. Locally known as Whizbang. Considered
to be one of the “wildest” of the oilfield boom towns.2

Quick Links

Join Us Today!

Our purpose is to study methods available to members for genealogical
research and to develop and maintain ancestral records and family charts.
Informative programs, workshops and other events are presented for the
genealogist. PGS collects and preserves both genealogical and related historical
materials for public use.